--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Learning French is trivial: the word for…" description: "\"Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.\" — Alan Perlis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png" --- # Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval… ![“Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.” quote by Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png) > “Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.” [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Learning a language is easy once you grasp its basic patterns; French words often follow predictable rules. **In simple terms:** French basics are simple once you know patterns. Key Takeaway Focus on core patterns to learn quickly. Themes education language learning pattern recognition efficiency simplicity Mood encouraging practical optimistic Type educational motivational practical When to use this quote - self‑study - classroom instruction - language immersion programs Key Concepts cognitive science linguistics pedagogy Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of pattern‑based learning? - How do you handle exceptions in language learning? A Different Perspective Over‑generalizing can ignore irregularities and exceptions in language. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [I would drink gallons of coffee a day. Even now, off caffeine, I talk faster than anyone you've ever met. I finally recognized that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-englander/i-would-drink-gallons-of-coffee-a-day-even-now-off-caffeine-i-talk/) [Nathan Englander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-englander/) > [Blind with love, my daughter has cried nightly for horses, those long-necked marchers and churners that she has mastered, any and all, reigning them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/blind-with-love-my-daughter-has-cried-nightly-for-horses-those-long/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [My friends and I would get up early and take our horses through the national forest. My mom was very free. It was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-torv/my-friends-and-i-would-get-up-early-and-take-our-horses-through-the/) [Anna Torv](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-torv/) > [“I have never heard anyone say, 'Oh, ick! A horse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elinor-goulding-smith/i-have-never-heard-anyone-say-oh-ick-a-horse/) Elinor Goulding Smith > [Despite the reams of paperwork, obstacles worthy of a horse show, and a wait that can rival an elephant's gestation, adoption feels no different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/despite-the-reams-of-paperwork-obstacles-worthy-of-a-horse-show-and-a/) [Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/) > [If some beggar steals a bridle he'll be hung by a man who's stolen a horse. There's no surer justice in the world than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peire-cardenal/if-some-beggar-steals-a-bridle-he-ll-be-hung-by-a-man-who-s-stolen-a/) Peire Cardenal > [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Plato compared the intellect to a charioteer guiding the powerful horses of the passions, i.e., he gave it both the power of perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-cattell/plato-compared-the-intellect-to-a-charioteer-guiding-the-powerful/) [Raymond Cattell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-cattell/) > [I always like to look for adventure when I go away. I have gone on several horse adventures with my wife - from Guangxi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-always-like-to-look-for-adventure-when-i-go-away-i-have-gone-on/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [It is a pity that, commonly, more care is had--yea, and that among very wise men--to find out rather a cunning man for their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ascham/it-is-a-pity-that-commonly-more-care-is-had-yea-and-that-among-very/) [Roger Ascham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ascham/) > [I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-promise-myself-that-i-will-enjoy-every-minute-of-the-day-that-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't know where horse riding could have taken me, and it's something I can always go back to when I've retired from football,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millie-bright/i-don-t-know-where-horse-riding-could-have-taken-me-and-it-s/) [Millie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millie-bright/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [In the Christianity of Christendom the Cross has become something like the child’s hobby-horse and trumpet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-christianity-of-christendom-the-cross-has-become-something/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Alan Perlis > [You can measure a programmer's perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/you-can-measure-a-programmer-s-perspective-by-noting-his-attitude-on/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/in-english-every-word-can-be-verbed-would-that-it-were-so-in-our/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [LISP programmers know the value of everything and the cost of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/lisp-programmers-know-the-value-of-everything-and-the-cost-of-nothing/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [I think that it's extraordinarily important that we in computer science keep fun in computing. When it started out, it was an awful lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/i-think-that-it-s-extraordinarily-important-that-we-in-computer/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/simplicity-does-not-precede-complexity-but-follows-it/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [Optimization hinders evolution. Everything should be built top-down, except the first time. Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/optimization-hinders-evolution-everything-should-be-built-top-down/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [The computing field is always in need of new cliches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/the-computing-field-is-always-in-need-of-new-cliches/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/fools-ignore-complexity-pragmatists-suffer-it-some-can-avoid-it/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/a-programming-language-is-low-level-when-its-programs-require/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [Syntactic sugar causes cancer of the semicolon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/syntactic-sugar-causes-cancer-of-the-semicolon/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [When a professor insists computer science is X but not Y, have compassion for his graduate students.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/when-a-professor-insists-computer-science-is-x-but-not-y-have/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/a-year-spent-in-artificial-intelligence-is-enough-to-make-one-believe/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [In software systems it is often the early bird that makes the worm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/in-software-systems-it-is-often-the-early-bird-that-makes-the-worm/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [In man-machine symbiosis, it is man who must adjust: The machines can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/in-man-machine-symbiosis-it-is-man-who-must-adjust-the-machines-can-t/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [Every program has two purposes: The one for which it was written and another for which it wasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/every-program-has-two-purposes-the-one-for-which-it-was-written-and/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) [Explore all 57 Alan Perlis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) ## More Funny quotes > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Sometimes I look at my awesome twitter followers & think to myself, What the hell would I do without them :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/sometimes-i-look-at-my-awesome-twitter-followers-think-to-myself-what/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [Congratulations to Facebook on going public with all my private information...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-to-facebook-on-going-public-with-all-my-private/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Penis goes in , sperms cums out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/penis-goes-in-sperms-cums-out/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman [Browse all 39,858 Funny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Perlis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for-horse-is-cheval-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Funny" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for-horse-is-cheval-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52a/alan-perlis-11812_funny_learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for_3028673.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.” — Alan Perlis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Perlis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Learning French is trivial: the word...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for-horse-is-cheval-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/learning-french-is-trivial-the-word-for-horse-is-cheval-and/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```